£40 million to restore roads to 2010 condition
Restoring Powys's roads back to their condition of eight years would cost the local authority £40 million, it has been claimed.
After the county was revealed as having the worst roads in Wales, Powys County Council has admitted that conditions have deteriorated so much sine 2010 that it would take tens of millions of pounds to return roads to their previous state.
With financial pressures continuing to mount on the authority, cabinet member for highways, Councillor Liam Fitzpatrick, has admitted it is becoming more challenging that ever to keep the county's roads in check.
He said: “Powys has by far the largest road network in Wales, larger even than a small European country like Luxembourg at 4500km in length - and that does not include the trunk roads which add on another 500km.
"Trunk roads are of course paid for and maintained by the Welsh Government."
Councillor Fitzpatrick said that the costs of providing social care were having a knock-on effect on other departments.
The cabinet member added that he has "grave concern" over the state of the county's roads but that an improvement plan will begin in spring.
He said: “Maintaining the network, particularly at a time of severe financial pressure, has been extremely challenging in recent years as councils in the UK concentrate more and more on social care.
Improvements
"Indeed, to bring our roads in Powys back to the standard of 2010 it would now cost us £40m, which causes me grave concern.
“Nevertheless we go forward and as spring finally arrives we will begin with road strengthening, surface dressing and road improvements, although we know there is a great deal more to do."
Almost 20 per cent of roads in Mid Wales are in a poor condition, with Powys at the top of the list for needing repairs to potholes, bumps and cracks.
A six-year survey of roads across Wales from the has shown that the region has twice the national average of roads in poor condition.
The Welsh Government's data unit says that about 10 per cent of Wales' roads, covering 1,932 miles, are in a poor condition with potholes, bumps and surface cracks.
Powys scored an average of 19.6 per cent of poor roads over six years, the worst figures, with Wrexham, which also borders Shropshire, third worst with 14.2 per cent.
